Lounging on the cheap or in luxury?

Calculating the Cost of a Deck or Patio

ShutterstockA new or revamped patio or deck could increase your home’s value and your household’s quality of life.

If you’re a homeowner with nothing special outside your back door, you’ve probably felt the pang of patio or deck envy. You go to a friend’s house, and he has an incredible layout in his backyard. Someone is grilling, and friends and family are lounging in comfortable chairs on the patio. Everyone’s laughing and having fun, and you remember your own place and think: I want this.

So how much does a patio or deck cost? And what should you know before building one? Here are some basic blueprints to go over before you get too deep into daydreaming and planning.

A low-frills patio or deck is pretty cheap. Everyone’s definition of cheap is different, but decks can be had for as low as $1,000, according to Jessica Piha, a spokeswoman for Porch.com, a website that helps homeowners find the right contractor. But the average deck costs $8,300, Piha says.
And how much is a cheap patio? The cost to install a 200-square-foot concrete patio is about $740 to $840 on average, according to HomeWyse.com, an online reference for home projects.

Home improvement chain stores sell the patio pavers for around a buck and upward. If you need, say, 800 inexpensive patio pavers for a 200-square-foot patio, that will generally equate to the price of a concrete patio. Not too bad, until you factor in the price of hiring someone to put them in the ground and any other extras your patio might need.

HomeWyse.com places the average cost of a 230-square-foot patio that uses patio stones from about $2,850 to $3,540. Want flagstone instead? Expect to pay between $3,530 and $4,440.